Mid November saw Budweiser activate its recently extended official NBA partnership with a new responsible drinking campaign fronted by actor Anthony Anderson and LA Lakers guard Danny Green.
The Anheuser-Busch beer brand, which has been an NBA partner since 1998, renewed its official sponsorship for a further four years (with additional packaging and marketing rights) and the initial primary activation pillar built around the tie-up is amplifying Budweiser’s 360-degree responsible drinking ‘Drink Wiser’ initiative which encourages consumers to ‘Hydrate Between Buds’.
Drink Wiser, which originally launched in 2018, emphasizes the importance of alternating beers with water and uses the discipline of athletes to showcase why it’s important to drink responsibly.
The 2019 festive initiative stars actor Anthony Anderson and Los Angeles Lakers guard Danny Green who launch the responsible drinking campaign with a short film.
The two-minute spot was produced with the National Basketball Players Association and is being broadcast during NBA games on television, online and in hoops arenas across the league.
The campaign also includes The Drink Wiser Challenge in conjunction with YouTube TV which offers hoops fans a chance to win NBA Finals tickets and signed memorabilia.
The message will also be carried across Budweiser primary and secondary packaging.
Anderson (an Emmy-nominated actor and executive producer of the TV shows “black-ish,” “mixed-ish” and “grown-ish”) and Green (a two-time NBA champion) were chosen due to they’re accomplishments in their respective fields explained Anheuser-Busch VP of CSR Adam Warrington.
“We wanted to demonstrate to fans how they can drink wiser by hydrating between Buds and believe Anthony and Danny would allow us to breakthrough in a way that would resonate,” Warrington added.
“Working with NBA athletes, in this case, Danny Green, provided us a key opportunity to influence change and further encourage fans to act responsibly.”
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Anheuser-Busch’s partnership with the NBA spans across all leagues – including the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League (and USA Basketball) – and while details of the new four-year deal were not disclosed the extension ensures 2019/20 sees Budweiser kick off its 22nd year as the league’s official beer. The brewer has been a partner of the league since 1998.
The ability to work with current pro athletes is still fairly new for the US alcohol industry and Anheuser-Busch only penned tie-ups with the MLB and NBA player associations in 2018 which enabled it to use active athletes in its marketing for the first time.
This has enabled its brands to switch strategies around their sports marketing: spearheading a picot away from billboard led messaging in the stadium to becoming a more meaningful part of sports stories.
Amongst the beer brand’s other recent stand out basketball activations are its Draught Lottery Machine initiative with the New York Knicks (see case study) and its #ThisBudsFor3 tribute to the retiring Dwayne Wade (see case study).
“For more than 20 years, Anheuser-Busch has effectively connected with our fans throughout the year-round basketball calendar,” said NBA Senior Vice President of Marketing Partnerships Kerry Tatlock about the sponsorship extension.
“We’re excited to continue to evolve our partnership, building on the long-standing responsibility programs we’ve implemented together and also creating new initiatives.”
According to Anheuser-Busch itself, this latest campaign continues a responsible drinking strategy which began 35 years ago – since when it has invested more than $1bn on responsible drinking programmes.
Links:
Budweiser USA
https://www.facebook.com/Budweiser
https://www.youtube.com/user/budweiser
https://twitter.com/budweiserusa
https://www.pinterest.com/budweiser/
https://www.instagram.com/budweiserusa/
NBA
https://www.youtube.com/user/NBA
https://www.instagram.com/nba/
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